GLAM Night Out: Party & Media Panel at the Newseum

→Celebrate the launch of the GLAM-Wiki US Consortium, a national network of nonprofit Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) institutions. Through the GLAM-Wiki initiative, cultural institutions share their resources through collaborative projects with Wikipedia editors.

→Attend a media panel discussion that will shine light on a specific topic of interest to nonprofits, journalists and Wikipedians -- financial conflicts of interest in science and medicine.

Schedule

Time

Activity

6:30 – 8:00pm

Networking Reception: Social hour with light appetizers and refreshments

Panel: “The Sponsored Point of View: Financial Conflicts of Interest in Health Care and Science”

WhyTo promote networking between Wikipedians and representatives of nonprofits, media, and cultural organizations.To celebrate the launch of the GLAM-Wiki US Consortium, a national network of nonprofit cultural institutions.To hold a panel discussion on financial conflicts of interest in science and medicine.

Who
The reception and panel will promote networking between Wikipedians and representatives of nonprofits, media, and cultural organizations.

The Sponsored Point of View: Financial Conflicts of Interest in Health Care and Science

This panel will focus on recent developments regarding financial conflicts of interest in health care and science, including ways that corporate funding for physicians and scientists may influence articles published in academic journals and the news media, the development of public policy, and medical treatment and the prescribing of prescription drugs.

Hidden financial conflicts of interests create the possibility that scientific research, expert recommendations and journal articles are biased by secondary interests, including commercial pressures, academic or institutional pressures, and/or personal financial gain. This is important to Wikipedia because of its Neutral Point of View (NPOV) policy, which entails representing fairly, proportionately, and as far as possible without bias, all significant views that have been published by reliable sources. In addition, the No Original Research policy provides that every article on Wikipedia must be based upon verifiable statements from multiple third-party reliable sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Hidden financial sponsorship of research, journal articles and expert perspectives can undermine the integrity of third-party sources in ways that may be difficult for any outside party, including WIkipedians, to discern.

The panelists will highlight and discuss additional examples of how hidden industry payments have influenced academic research and information sources. Panelists will also highlight research methods, tools and databases that can be used to research medical and scientific conflicts of interest.

Consumer Reports, the convenor of the panel, is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To maintain its independence and impartiality, CR accepts no outside advertising or corporate funding.